Atari Inc. is collaborating with best-selling author Dale Brown and Eugen Systems on ACT OF WAR: DIRECT ACTION, scheduled to be released in spring 2005. The upcoming near-future, geopolitical techno-thriller is being developed by Eugen Systems with a storyline and game universe created in cooperation with Brown, 15-time New York Times best-selling author and expert on U.S. military, global conflict and future military technology.

"Atari continues to strengthen its PC product portfolio with exceptional triple-A quality titles like ACT OF WAR," said Nancy MacIntyre, vp of marketing and public relations, at Atari's Beverly studio. "With Dale Brown's unique expert insights into future military technology, and Eugen Systems' technical expertise and refreshing approach to the interactive entertainment industry, ACT OF WAR is well positioned to earn a spot among the top realtime strategy brands on the market."

"The world is changing to the point where terrifying worldwide events portend a frightening view of the future," said Brown. " ACT OF WAR: DIRECT ACTION is more than just a realization of this new world it shows how continued technological innovation and strong leadership can overcome the specter of terror in our lives."

ACT OF WAR: DIRECT ACTION tells a highly realistic, near-future story of a U.S. elite force fighting an international plot to overthrow the current world order, taking gamers through a frightening and believable reality filled with suspense, international intrigue and geopolitical military conflict, wrapped in a strategy gaming experience.

Players may engage in the battle from street level perspective on urban battlefields such as San Francisco, Washington D.C., London and Moscow, with incredible detail and without slowing down any of the action. Act of War will feature a single-player story mode and various multiplayer modes including 8-player online skirmishes.

New York-based Atari develops interactive games for all platforms and is one of the largest third-party publishers of interactive entertainment software in the U.S. Atari Inc. is a majority-owned subsidiary of France-based Infogrames Ent. SA, the largest interactive games publisher in Europe. For more information, visit www.atari.com.